Improved isomeric-diaphragm furnace for desulphurizing ores



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

Patented Nov. 7, 1865.

D. MINTHORN.

Furnace for Desulphurizing Ores.

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2" Sheets Sheet 2.

D. MINTHORN.

Furnace for Desulphurizing Ores.

Patented Nov. 7, 1865.

X 0 W i v M N. FETERs Phclol llwgriphn. wasnin wn UNITED STATES PATENTGrrroa.

DANIEL MINTHORN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED ISOMERlC-DIAPHRAGM FURNACE FOR DESULPHURIZING ORES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,836, dated November7, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL MrN'rHoRN, of the city of New York, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Furnacefor the Treating of Mineral Ores, Rocks, &c., which I denominate anIsomeric-Diaphragm Furnace and I do hereby declare the following to be afull and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

In my improved furnace I employ a receptacle containing the material tobe treated in a distinct and separate chamber from the one in which theheat is generated, but which is connected with such chamber by passages,which may be opened and closed by dampers as the various stages of theprocess require, and so that the escaping products of combustion andgases may be thrown into and among the material to be treated or passthrough a separate and distinct exit-flue into the chimney above. Withinthe chamberin which the ore is treated is hung or placed thebasketshaped ore-receptacle, which may be stationary or made to rockupon trunnions, and has apertures in the side or bottom, which aperturesmay be made of any form or style, so that they allow the passage of thegases used for treatingores or minerals to pass into and through thereceptacle and material. I arrange below the basket-shapedore-receptacle a series of brick lines, so located that when placed theyshall form a chamber the sides of which are nearly parallel to thebasket, and from which fines the heat and the gases shall pass to thechamber underneath the receptacle. I place in this furnace my improvedapparatus for purifying hydrogen gas; and this furnace is particularlyadapted to its use, although I do not limitmy use of this novelty andits claims to novelty to the features relating to this applicationalone, but include also the relative arrangement and location ofore-receptacle in combination with the chamber in which it is placed andits connection with the fire-chamber. This furnace may be constructedwithout my isomeric diaphragm and used for the various metallurgicaloperations carried on in treating-furnaces. Iemploysuperheatedsteam andplace anintervening chamber ordiaphragm between the fire-chamber and themineral ores to be treated. I fill the intervening chamber or diaphragmwith iron borin gs, filings, scraps,

850., using cast-iron by preference; but any other substance may serve,whether very finely divided or not, which will absorb or appro priateoxygen from steam and leave the hydrogen and products of combustion tobe used in treating the ores. I prefer to make this chamber in the formof a hollow square or of acircularbelt. VVhensuchformisnotadopted, oreven when it is, I introduce within the chamber hollow projectionsrising from below in a conical, cylindrical, or other suitable form,perforated at the sides. If cylinders, they are. by preference,fire-brick seggars; if cones, I prefer to use thin cast-iron perforatedas a core or lining. On each of these conical frames is placed a cone ofplasterof-paris, with perforations corresponding to those in thecastings. In case the diaphragm is spacious the object of the cones isto keep the cast-iron borin'gs' from packing or settling down, so as notto obstruct essentially the superheated steam and deoxidized flame whenpassing into the recepup oxygen from out of the heated mineral oxides;hence it disintegrates the most perfect in degree of any process in use.

In order that others may understand and apply my invention, I willproceed to explain the same and to describe its construction andoperation by the aid of the drawings which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the apparatus on the line S Sin Fig. 1. Fig. l is a ground plan of the apparatus in the samecondition on the line L L in Fig. 1. In these figures the damper b isopen and the mineral ores are being heated by the flame of the furnaceand superheated steam, which mingled currents are represented by the redand yellow color and red darts. Figs. 2 and 2" represent the sameapparatus in a different condition. Fig. 2 is a section of the same onthe line T 1 in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a ground plan of the apparatus whenthe flues c c are opened and bis closed. Both these latter figuresrepresent the damper b as closed and the dampers c c as open, so as tolet the superheated steam and flame pass through the diaphragm D,producing hydrogen, which is represented by the green darts. The flameand superheated steam in the chamber 0, before entering the diaphragm D,are represented by blue and red darts.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the drawings.

The letter A represents the furnace or chamberin which the fuel isburned. A represents extra flue to kindle the fire. A represents damperto extra flue. a represents the ashpit. a represents the door of thefurnace. 13 represents the flue for heating the ores by flame andsuperheated steam. 1) represents the damper to flue-chamber B. 1)represents the handle to the damper b. 0 represents the fluechamberbetween the furnace and diaphragm. 0 represents the dampers to chamber.0 represents the right handle to damper c. represents the left handle todamper c. D represents the walls of the isomeric diaphragm. D representsthe diaphragm-chamber, containing cast-iron borings, filings, &c. Drepresents a perforated cone of plaster supported on a perforated coneof iron, as before intimated. 61 represents the apertures or openingsfor the flame through the walls of the diaphragm. (1 representsfire-brick doors or openings into the diaphragm, to be luted whenclosed. E represents an inclined wall floor of fire -brick, formed withlugs resting on and overlapping each other, so as to shed by their ownspecific gravity the disintegrated ores or particles into the reservoir1', the whole resting on the castiron and fire-brick cylinders I. 0represents the openings between and through the inclined floor offire-bricl ,with lugs for the flame and gas to pass through. Frepresents the iron basket containing the ores. freprescnts the openingthrough the basket. F represents the ores in a heated state. Grepresents the receptacle for the ores or minerals. G represents thechimney. 9 represents the door or opening to fill receptacle. Hrepresents the pipe communicating superheated steam. It represents thejet or distributer of superheated steam. I represents a casing ofcast-iron, covered with fire-brick, which forms a strong sup port forthe central portion of the inclined fire-brick floor or funnel-bottom E,while z'and 2" represent the spaces at the base, as before explained,together with the particles disintegrated.

The base of the cone D is open, and it receives the gases and steam fromG and distributes the same in small streams through its perforations.Such cones are not so important when the diaphragm-is in the annular orhollow form represented as when the diaphragm extends across the wholearea; but in either case the iron-borings are liable to pack down andform so thick and dense a body that the gases cannot well pass through;and the perforated cones D of which I can employ as many as may bepreferred, greatly aid in reducing the thickness of the stratum to betraversed and in projecting the gases laterally in all directions intothe borin gs.

The basket F is capable of being readily removed and replaced in amanner not well represented in the drawings, but which will present nodifficulty to skilled workmen, it being necessary simply to lift thewarped or burnedout basket from the ledge or shelf on which it issupported, and to remove it laterally and introduce another through alarge door in the side of G. (Not represented.) The form of this basketF presents the thickest mass of ore, F, near the center of theapparatus, where the reflection of the heat from the surrounding partsis most intense, and where the decomposed steam and other gases, flowingthrough the apertures a through the inclined floor or funnel-shapedcasing of fire-brick E, strike most directly. I propose in some cases toform the basket F so that it shall rest upon and be partially supportedby the funnel E over nearly the whole of its surface. I can, ifpreferred, dispense with the basket F altogether, or reduce it to a mereapron of perforated metal or wire-cloth resting upon the firebrick E.with a suitable door or stop for the hole at the lowermost point,through which the desulphurized or disintegrated material F can bedischarged by opening the door.

To use my invention and process the fire is kindled in the ordinary wayin the furnace A, and by the aid of the extra flue A, with the damper Aopen, the smoke and pyroligneous acid are made to pass off in thechimney without coming in contact with the minerals or ores to bedesulphurized and disintegrated. After the fire is thoroughly ignitedthe damper A is closed and the damper b is opened. Superheated steam isthen admitted through the perforated pipe h from a generating apparatus,(not represented,) and the mineral ores F are heated by the products ofcombustion or gases resulting from passing superheated steam into theburning fuel contained in the fire-chamber, according to the patentedprocess of William E. Hagan. When the ores F in the receptacle Gr havebeen sufficiently heated the flue B, connecting the fire-chamber A withthe ore-receptacle, is closed by a suitable damper, b, and the dampers 00, connecting the fire-chamber with the diaphragm D, are then opened,and the nascent gases escaping from and produced by the admission ofsteam to contact with the glowing fuel, as before named, will pass intoand through the diaphragm, forming hydrogen to be brought into contactwith the ore or material placed in the receptacle above. The ob ject ofthis diaphragm and the materials placed therein is to absorb oxygen andpurify the hydrogen produced by the fire and superheated steam, for thepurposes hereinbefore named.

While I have herein described a kind of furnace applicable to the use ofthis diaphragm, I do not confine my application to the particular formor style of furnace described. I can obtain the advantages in great partby different styles, so long as there is an intervening chamber,diaphragm, or purifier between the materials to be treated and theescaping gases produced by the combustion hereinbefore named withsuperheated steam.

Instead of the precise arrangement described my diaphragm D may beplaced, if preferred, upon a bridge-wall of a reverberatory furnacehaving the plane of its sides parallel to the sides of the bridge-walland perpendicular to the plane of the bed; or it may be made to rotateon any suitable axis; or it may be of other forms or shapes and locatedin other parts of the furnace, it being necessary simply that the gasesproduced by the combustion hereinbefore named shall pass into andthrough it.

I do not confine my improvement to the process of William E. Hagan bypassing the superheated steam through the fuel, though I prefer thatstyle of furnace, but use it superheated over the fuel as well.

Fig. 3 represents a slight modification of the part E E. I consider thismodification a desirable one in most cases. It is a central verticalsection. The portions which are made of fire-brick are marked E, and thespaces between are marked 6.

Fig. 4 represents a cross-section of the diaphragm D and one of thecones D ona larger scale than in Fig. 1.

I do not claim to have discovered that castiron borings suflicientlyheated will absorb the oxygen from steam nor do I claim the applicationofsnperheated steam as a disintegrator,

lar or equivalent hollow form of the said diaphragm.

3. The perforated cones orhollow projections in the chamber or diaphragmD, arranged sub stantially in the'manner and for the purposes herein setforth.

4. The inclined plates, forming a tunnel-bottomed furnace for collectingthe disintegrated material, arranged relatively to the ore-chamber G Fand to the other parts substantially in the manner and for the purposesherein set forth.

5. The within-described arrangement of the I dishing grate or basket Frelatively to the annular or hollow diaphragm D so as to facilitate thepresentation of a thicker stratum of the ore near the center, where thecurrents of gases and steam strike directly, than near the edges, wherethey strike with less force, substantially as herein specified.

6. The arrangement of the passages A, B, and O and dampers A I), and 0,for changing the direction of the heat and gases, substantially as andfor the purposes herein described and set forth.

DANIEL MINTHORN.

Witnesses:

EMIL VOSSNAOK, D. W. STETSON.

